Selling Blake’s ring

Have you seen the ring? Popsugar has the most photos. Click here to see and then come back because I have a story to tell you about them/it.

We don’t have to waste time debating whether or not these were staged, right?

Most mainstream news outlets - PEOPLE, US Magazine, E! Online etc - posted a shot of Blake’s ring yesterday crediting the image to photographer “Alex Gutierrez” and not a photo agency. Paparazzi photos are almost always sold by photo agencies. And these photos are actually being represented by a photo agency -- Startraks.

Sound familiar?

Of course it does.

Startraks is the photo agency that handled the sale of these photos of Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds in a tiny little town in Utah last year, kissing at her sister’s Bed & Breakfast. Somehow a celebrity photographer just happened to be driving through Utah! Startraks was also conveniently around for these exclusives when Blake and Ryan returned to New York a few days later.

Startraks gets a LOT of Blake exclusives, non?

Coincidence or conspiracy?

And yet, for some reason, this time, Startraks was NOT credited with these ring pictures, perhaps the most valuable Blake Lively pictures to date, even though Startraks IS managing the (US) sale of the photos (so you’d think they’d want their name out there to attract buyers, right?). For some reason, the photo credit does not list Startraks at all.

Because right now, for Blake, it’s all about perception. As mentioned yesterday, click here for a refresher, Blake is even giving sh-t to PEOPLE Magazine as she’s so particular about not wanting to give the appearance that she sold her wedding. And it’s all in the details. Even the small details like listing a photographer’s name instead of her go-to photo agency that handles all her setups. It’s sophisticated gamesmanship for an increasingly sophisticated gossip public. Jessica Biel should be paying attention.